Homecoming of the Danilov Bells: Chimes of Today

Only a few decades ago, the very thought of church bells being rung in Russia seemed like thoughtless idealism. In 1985, when reconstruction work began in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, old bells from churches that had been shut down were brought there for storage. Clergymen were cautiously suggesting that one day the bells may ring once more.

The art of bell ringing is seeing a true renaissance in Russia. It was the Danilov Monastery which became the home of the first bell ringing school after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Being the first monastery in the Moscow area to reopen, it attracted many admirers of the art from all over the country. By 1992, students of the newly-founded Danilov campanology school were ringing the Kremlin bells, with the blessing of Pimen - the Russian patriarch at the time. Since then, bell ringing has been taught in churches and monasteries all over Russia, leading to the creation of the Bell Ringers' Association which hosts international conventions annually.

Since 2004, Novgorod, an important historic city in Russia, has been hosting a national bell ringing competition, showcasing both old and new talents. The performances take place in one of the oldest Russian Orthodox Churches in the world - the Sofiyskiy Cathedral. The mission statement of the competition describes its tasks as "promoting the art of bell ringing, increasing the proficiency level of bell ringers all over Russia and attracting young people to the art".

It was not only the art of bell ringing which suffered during the years of Soviet rule. The bell-making industry also saw a decline. When it was reinstituted in the late 1980's, many factories which worked with metal, including several weapon-making ones, committed to the production of new bells. Their metal-crafting skills, combined with the spiritual guidance of clergymen, quickly instituted a new boom to the industry, making it famous around the world once more. It is Voronezh, a city in southwestern Russia, which currently holds the title of bell capital of the country, producing exquisite and melodious bells for churches all over the world.

What makes Russian bells so distinctive is their metal composition. It not only gives them a specifically sonorous nature, but also, being highly malleable, allows Russian bell-makers to create more elongated and bigger shapes than those produced in the West. The two key constituents of any bell metal are copper and tin, but the proportions need to be very specific. Tin makes bells sonorous, but too much of it will make them break easily. Russian bells are 25 per cent tin, giving them a wide range of sonic possibilities but also allowing them to be crafted into decorative masterpieces.

The shape and metal composition of a bell has a primary impact on the way it sounds. The addition of zinc, for example, creates more elongated, but duller sounds. Some bells, like the Danilov ones, also use a significant amount of silver, giving their ring distinctive undertones. Narrower and longer bells, which are often associated with the Russian school of bell making, produce longer-lasting chimes.


Homecoming of the Danilov Bells: The Ring of History
Homecoming of the Danilov Bells: The Spiritual Home
Homecoming of the Danilov Bells: A Spiritual Odyssey